Facsimile transmitter and recorder with automatic sheet mounting



"Feb. 5, 1952 w 5 ETAL 2,584,775

R. J. FACSIMILE TRANSMITTER AND RECORDER WITH AUTOMATIC SHEET MOUNTING Filed Dec. 10, 1946 10 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS R. J. WISE G. H. RIDINGS ATTORNEY Feb. 5, 1952 R. J. WISE ETAL 2,584,775

FACSIMILE TRANSMITTER AND RECORDER WITH AUTOMATIC SHEET MOUNTING 1O Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 10, 1946 FIG. 5

ATTORNEY E ms m R G. H. RlDlNC-S Feb. 5, 1952 R. J. WISE ETAL FACSIMILE TRANSMITTER AND RECORDER WITH AUTOMATIC SHEET MOUNTING l0 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec.

my S Y M E m E Mm M w R m T m M mm; o; vm mm 21 Q a T. 1 m mm Q 3 S 3 I q h mm 2 W: .\vmm n2 a @2 o 02 o m9 o 2 o Feb.5, 1952 I R. J. WISE ETAL 2,584,775

FACSIMILE TRANSMITTER AND RECORDER WITH AUTOMATIC SHEET MOUNTING Filed Dec. 10, 1946 10 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. l0

INVENTORS R. J. WISE BY G.H.RID INGS J1EE ATTOR NEY R. J. WISE ET AL FACSIMILE TRANSMITTER AND RECORDER WITH Feb. 5, 1952 AUTOMATIC SHEET MOUNTING 10 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 10, 1946 m S m E m m m M w 0 N mm H w R w T m T R G A 02 2 \I f Y B mS #3 2: mi 02 w\ 03 N07 J 0 mm E2 TE f 31 J Feb. 5, 1952 R J 55; ETAL 2,584,775

FACSIMILEI TRA NSIVIITTER AND RECORDER WITH AUTOMATIC SHEET MOUNTING Filed Dec. 10, 1946- 10 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIG. I3 11 FIGQIG INVENTORS R.J. WISE G. H. RIDINGS ATTORNEY F 1952 R. J. WISE ETAL FACSIMILE TRANSMITTER AND RECORDER WITH AUTOMATIC SHEET MOUNTING F il'ed Dec.

10 Sheets-Sheet 7 mm 5&3

INVENTORS Rd. WISE G. H. RI DI NGS ATTORNEY Feb. 5, 1952 r R, J, W ETAL 2,584,775

FACSIMILE TRANSMITTER AND RECORDER WITH I AUTOMATIC SHEET MOUNTING Filed Dec. 10, 1946 10 Sheets-Sheet 8 PIC-L20 BY A M144- ATTORNEY Feb. 5, 1952 R J 1 ETAL 2,584,775

FACSIMILE TRANSMITTER AND RECORDER WITH AUTOMATIC SHEET MOUNTING Filed Dec; 10, 19,46 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTORS RAJ. WISE G. H. RIDINGS ATTOR NEY Feb. 5, 1952 R, J 155 ETAL 2,584,775

FACSIMILE TRANSMITTER AND RECORDER WITH AUTOMATIC SHEET MOUNTING 1O Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed Dec. 10, 1946 INVENTORS R. J. W I S E MNQE BY G.H.R|Q|NG$ ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 5,- 1952 Pics FACSIMILE TRANSMITTER AND RECORDER WITH AUTOMATIC SHEET MOUNTING Raleigh J. Wise, Dunellen, and Garvice n.

Ridings, Summit, N. J.

, assignors to The Western Union Telegraph Company, New York,

a corporation of New York Application December 10, 1946, Serial No. 715,248

1 44 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of facsimile communication and its object is to provide an automatic facsimile transmitter or receiver embodying various novel features which result in certain practical advantages in the commercial use of the machine. Since the drawings show our invention embodied in a recorder, we shall describe it as such without intending thereby any limitation in the practical application of our invention.

Briefly stated, our new facsimile recorder comprises a stationary cylinder on which the paper blanks are-supported for recording. This paper, which is especially prepared for electric recording, is fed from a continuous supply roll in a direction lengthwise of the cylinder. After a definite length of paper has been fed into alignment with the cylinder, shears cut the paper and a flexible former wraps the cut blank around the cylinder and holds it there. The blank is moved slowly along the cylinder while a revolving electric stylus records on the inner surface of the paper as it slides oil the stationary cylinder. At the end of a recording operation the flexible former or wrapper opens to release the received message which is thereupon removed. All these operations from the feeding of the blank to the removal of the recorded sheet take place in automatic sequence, so that the machine requires no persnal attention in the successive recording of transmitted messages. The machine does not even have to be started and stopped by an attendant. These operations are automatically controlled from the transmitter with which the recorder is connected.

The flexible former that wraps the cut blank around the cylinder comprises a pair of pivoted arms which carry a flexible band. These arms are normally open to hold the band flat for receiving one blank length of paper as it comes from the supply roll. After the paper is cut, the arms close and wrap the blank firmly around the cylinder. In one form of our invention the former is mounted on a slidable carriage and draws the supported sheet oil the cylinder durin the scanning operation. For extra long sheets'we provide additional means for maintaining the cylindrical form of the paper as it leaves the stationary cylinder. The recorded sheets are removed from the flexible former by an automatic stripping device which carries the sheet to a position where it drops into a receptacle.

In another embodiment of our invention the flexible former that wraps the cut blank around the supporting cylinder remains stationary during the scanning operation and the blank. is pulled on the cylinder by a gripping device mounted on a slidable carriage. In this construction no matter how long the sheet is it remains supported at both ends in cylindrical form during the entire forward movement of the carriage. This gripping device is operated automatically to grip the sheet after it has been wrapped around the cylinder and to releaseit at the proper moment after the recording is flnished. In this machine the recorded sheets are removed by pneumatic device which carries them to a point of discharge. v

In its practical application our facsimile recorder is useful in any telegraphic communication system requiring automatic operation in the recording of transmitted subject matter such as telegrams, letters, business forms on cards or sheets, and all kinds of records used in business transactions. Several examples of our invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 shows one form of our facsimile recorder in perspective;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragment of Fig. 1 showing a front view of the blank cutting mechanism, as if looking along line 3-3 of Fig. 1, certain parts being sectioned for clearness;

Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 of Fig. i;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 4 showing a recording blank pressed against the cylinder during the cutting operation;

Fig. 6 shows a side view of the machine;

Fig. '7 is a section on line 1-1 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 7A represents a detached perspective view of the complete bracket shown in Fig. 7;

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 shows the sheet removing device mounted at the left of Fig. 1 where it is partly broken away;

Fig. 10 is a left end view of Fig. 1 showing how a recorded sheet is removed from the machine:

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary detailed view partly in section showing the mounting of the rotary recording stylus;

Fig. 12 is a diagram of the control circuits for the automatic operation of the machine shown in Figs. 1-11:

Fig. 13 shows a modified construction for supporting the sheet at both ends during the recording operation and for withdrawing the assure fumes generated by the stylus, the parts being shown in starting position;

Fig. 14 is similar to Fig. 13 with the parts shown at the end of a recording operation;

Fig. 15 is a detail on line ll5 of P18. 13;

Fig. 16 is a section on line IQI8 of Flg.14;

Fig. 17 shows another modification of our facsimile recorder, this being a side view of the machine with the parts in starting position;

Fig. 18 is a cross section on line iii-ll of Fig. 17 showing the paper closed around the drum for scanning;

Fig. 19 represents a section on line li-ll of Fig. 17 to illustrate the removal of a record sheet by pneumatic mechanism, it being assumed in this view that the scanning carriage is at the end of its forward travel;

Fig. 20 is a detached rear view of the sheet removing mechanism shown in Fig. 19;

Fig. 21 is a cross section on line 2l-2l of Fig. 17;

Fig. 22 shows a portion of Fig. 1'7 with certain I parts of the scanning carriage in a different posi-- tion; and v Fig. 23 is a diagram of the control circuits associated with the machine of Figs. 17 to 22.

Referring mainly to Figs. 1, 4 and 6, the supporting framework of the machine comprises a base ll, a pair of vertical cross plates 12 and I3, and a pair of front and rear upright brackets H and ii at the right end of the machine. The cross plates 12 and I3 may be cast integral with the base Hi and the brackets II and I! are fastened to the base by screws or bolts ii. The brackets l4 and I! support a cross bar II at the top and a depending bracket l8 secured to the middle of the cross bar carries a stationary drum or cylinder is which extends lengthwise of the machine. The function of the drum I! is to support a sheet of paper in recording position, the wrapped sheet being slowly moved along the drum during this operation, as will be fully explained later. To reduce contact friction between the sliding paper and the stationary drum, the latter may be formed with longitudinal grooves 20, as best shown in the enlarged view of Fig. 5.

Scanning carriage and driving connections (Figs. 1 to 6 and 8) The cross plates i2 and [I support a pair of horizontal rods 2! which are fixed in vertical alignment for slidably supporting a scanning carriage SK. This carriage comprises a U-shaped frame 22 provided with side plates 23 and 24 which are mounted on the rods 2] for reciprocating operation of the carriage. To insure a smooth easy movement of the carriage the side plates may have rollers running on rods 2|. As this expedient is well known, we do not show the rollers. A rod 25 mounted at its ends on the side plates 23 and 24 has pivoted thereon a pair of arms 26 which extend in opposite directions and carry at their tips a flexible band 21 of suitable material, such as metallized cloth or rubber, very thin sheet metal, or the like.

A simple way to attach the band 21 to the pivoted arms 26 is to provide the tips of the arms with short lateral sleeves 28 (Fig. 11) which carry rollers 29 to which the ends of the band are fastened in any practical way. The pivoted arms 26 and the flexible band 21 constitute a flexible former or wrapper adapted to wrap a blank around the stationary cylinder [9 and hold it in position for recording. The band 21 is about the size of a recording blank 30, as seen best in Fig. 1. For convenience we shall refer to the flexible band 21 as the former or wrapper.

The pivoted arms 28 are operated through a pair of links Ii which are pivotally connected to the arms by pins I2 on opposite sides of the central pivot mounting 2|. The lower ends of links II are connected to a pin 33 on the movable plunger 34 of a solenoid I which is mounted on an inverted U-shaped bracket ll secured to the base of the U-shaped frame 22. An expandin coil spring 36 surrounds the plunger 34 and normally tends to pull the arms 2! down into open position. as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. when the magnet 3! is energized, the plunger N is pulled up and the arms 2| are raised to their closed position 20a (see Fig. 4). thereby wrapping the flexible band 21 around the cylinder I. It will be convenient to refer to II as the wrapping magnet. The timed operation of this magnet will be explained in the description of Fig. 12.

The sliding movement of carriage SK for scanning is effected by a rotary screw shaft or feed screw 31 which is Journaled at its ends in the cross plates i2 and it, as shown in Fig. 6. The side plates 23 and 24 of the carriage have holes 38 for the free passage of the screw shaft therethrough.- In this particular design of machine we use two motors for operating the screw shaft 31, as seen in Fig. 6. A motor I! at the left of the machine rotates the shaft 31 at low scanning speed, which may be called the normal speed of the shaft. A second motor ll at the'other end of the machine operates the screw shaft at high speed during certain intervals for a purpose to be explained later.

The scanning motor is, which is a synchronous motor of predetermined constant speed, is mounted on a bracket ll secured to the cross plate l2. The motor shaft 42, which is preferably in axial alignment with the feed screw 31, has fixed thereon a ratchet wheel 43. On the adjacent end of the feed screw 31 is rigidly mounted a disk 44 which carries a pair of pivoted pawls 45 arranged to engage the ratchet wheel (Fig. 8). Light springs 46 constantly hold the pawls 45 against the ratchet teeth whereby the screw shaft 81 is coupled to the motor shaft 42 and rotates in unison therewith, as indicated by the arrows in 18. 8.

The high speed motor 40, which may be mounted on the base It. is connected to the screw shaft 31 through suitable gearing 41. This drives the screw shaft at a predetermined high speed to move the scanning carriage quickly to the end of its forward travel. as indicated by the fragmentary dotted outline SK in Fig. 6. As the motor III is permanently geared to the screw shaft 31. its armature shaft will be rotated by the motor 39 during the scanning periods, but that slow turning of its armature will do the motor 40 no harm. We may cut the scanning motor I! out when the motor 40 is operating or we may let it run continuously after the machine is started. Simultaneous operation of the two motors is permitted by the pawl and ratchet coupling 43- because the high speed disk 4 simply overruns the low speed ratchet wheel 43.

The scanning carriage SK is connected to the screw shaft 31 by a half nut ll (Fig. 2) which is held clear of the shaft by an expanding coil spring 49 and is moved into mesh with the shaft by a magnet 50 when the latter is energized. The half nut 48 may be attached directly to the end of the plunger SI of the magnet or other- .wiseconnected thereto, and thecoil spring 40 28 of the scanning carriage. A contracting coil spring 53 is secured at one end to a lug 54 on the stationary cross plate I3 and at the other end to a lug 54 on the plate 23 on the scanning carriage SK. When the carriage has completed its travel leftward (as viewed in Fig. 6) the magnet 50 is automatically released and the spring 49 withdraws the half nut 48, whereupon the tension of spring 53 snaps the released carriage back to starting position; The timing of magnet 50 will be explained in connection with Fig. 12. Suitable cushioning means, such as rubber pads or buttons 55, absorb the shock of the returning carriage.

Paper feed and cutting mechanism (Fig. 1 to 6) The blanks 30 which are wrapped around the cylinder I9 by the flexible former 21 are fed from a continuous supply roll 56 which is mounted transversely of the machine in the brackets I4 and I5. The paper roll 56 may be any kind of facsimile paper adapted to be recorded on by an electric stylus. A feed roll 51 also mounted in the brackets I4 and I5 is driven by a motor 58 (see Fig. 4) through suitable reducing gears, such as a worm or pinion 59 on the motor shaft meshing with a large gear 60 fixed on the feed roll shaft GI. A pressure roller 62 journaled in the brackets I4 and I5 assures proper feeding of the paper in a continuous sheet or strip 56 when the motor 58 is running. The circumference of the feed roll 51 is such that one turn will feed the correct length of paper 30 onto the open band 21 under the scanning cylinder I9. Let it be noted that 30 indicates the paper blank to be wrapped around the cylinder I9, while 56' refers to the continuous strip of paper which is fed off the supply roll 56.

Since the paper is fed from a continuous roll, it is necessary to cut off the required length before it can be wrapped around the cylinder by the former 21. As the paper strip 56' emerges from the feed rolls 51 and 62, it passes between two transverse guide strips 63 and 64 which direct the paper through the gap of a pair of open shear blades 85 and 66 onto the flat open band 21 beneath the cylinder I9. A bed plate 51 is secured at one end to an extension 63 of bracket I5 as by means of a flange 89 which is welded or riveted to the bracket. The lower guide member 54 is mounted on top of the bed plate 61 and the upper guide member 83 is fastened to the upper shear blade 65. This blade is stationary and is secured to a lateral extension of bracket I5 by bolts II and I2 (Fig. 4). The lower or movable blade 66 is pivoted on the bolt 12. This blade hangs normally in open position by its own weight.

The fixed cross plate I3 carries a magnet or solenoid 13 which is mounted in vertical position on an angle bracket 14 screwed to the plate. The plunger of this magnet is connected to one end of an arm 16 which is pivoted at 11 to the plate I3. The other end of arm I6 is connected at 18 to the lower shear blade 86. It is clear from Fig. 4 that when the magnet 13 is energized, the arm 16 is rocked to swing the blade 66 upward against the fixed blade 55 and thereby cut off the paper that was fed to the open band 21. This severed length of paper constitutes the recording sheet or blank which is now ready to be wrapped around the cylinder I9. In the particular machine we are describing the side plate 24 of the scanning carriage is cut away to obtain a clean even cut. For this purpose there is a rod 80 movably mounted in vertical slots 8I at the top of the carriage plates 23 and 24. This rod is arranged centrally below the cylinder I9 and is held against axial displacement by collars 82 which do not interfere with its vertical movements. A vertical bar 83 is mounted below the rod 88 in such position that normally the top of the bar just touches the rod. The bar 83 has a slot 84 (Fig. 5) through whichthe fixed rod 25 passes, whereby the bar is guided in its vertical movements.

A magnet or solenoid 85 has a plunger 88 to which the lower end of the bar 83 is connected A bracket 81 mounted on the side plate 24 sup-- ports the magnet 85. When this magnet is energized, the plunger is raised and the bar 83 lifts the rod upward in the slots 8|. As a result the paper on the band 21 is pressed by the rod 80 firmly against the bottom edge 88 of the cylinder I9 (Fig. 5) during the time that the shear blade 66 is operated to cut the paper. When the cutting is finished, the magnet is deenerg'ized and the parts 80, 83 and 86 return to their normal inactive positions.

It should be understood that the paper cutting operation occurs at the end of the feeding opera-- tion by the motor 58 which is disconnected before the shear blade 66 moves up. The circuit of motor 58 is controlled by an arm 89 fixed on the feed shaft 6| (Fig. 6). This arm operates a switch device 99 comprising a pair of normally closed contacts 9I and 92 and a weighted spring blade 93 which extends into the path of arm 89. The switch device may be mounted as an insulated unit on a cross-bar 94 carried by avertical bracket 95 which rises from the base plate I 0. It is clear from Fig. 6 that as the arm 89 moves past the spring blade 93 it tensions the latter and allows it to snap back. The recoiling blade 93 strikes the contact SI and opens the switch for a moment. How the opening of switch 90 stops the feeding of the paper after one revolution of the feed roll 51 will be explained in the description of Fig. 12.

Recording and phasing mechanism (Figs. 6, 7, 7A and 11) Referring to Fig. 11, a rotary conducting shaft 96 passes centrally through the stationary cylinder I9 and is insulated by rubber bushings 91, which also serve as bearings. A metal arm 98 is fixed on the outer end of shaft 96 and carries a recording stylus 99 of suitable construction, such as a piece of wire soldered in place. The stylus 99 is so arranged that it rotates in a circular path close to the adjacent end of the cylinder and remains in continuous contact with the inner surface of the supported sheet 30 as the latter is slowly moved along the cylinder by the scanning carriage SK. The insulated stylus shaft 96 is connected in the signal circuit in any practical way, as by a brush I08 engaging a collector ring IOI on the shaft (Fig. 6).

The stylus shaft 96 is driven at a predetermined constant speed by a small synchronous motor I02 (Fig. 6) mounted on top of the upstanding bracket or post 95. A worm or pinion I03 on the shaft of motor I02 meshes with a. gear wheel I94 fixed on a countershaft I05 which connects with an aligned stub shaft Ill thrown a suitable friction clutch I01, which may be of any well-known construction. The stub shaft III is connected to the aligned stylus shaft 22 through an insulated coupling Il'l whereby'the stylus shaft is insulated from the machine. The axially aligned shafts "II, III and It thus constitute a rotary driving connection for the recording stylus II from the motor I22. This drivlni connection is controllable for phasing purposes as we shall now explain.

An angle bracket indicated as a unit by Ill (see Fig. 7A) is attached to the upper part of the supporting post 95 and comprises a horizontaling a magnet II4 which we call the phasing magnet. An angle bar III projecting laterally from the vertical part Ill carries a plate III to which a latch II! is hinged by a pin III.

The latch I I1 extends slightly below the magnet for which it acts as an armature. The free end I I! of latch II! is hook-shaped and normally projects into the path of an arm I on the stub shaft IN. This shaft, therefore, remains looked as long as the latch III is hooked to the arm I20. When the magnet H4 is energized it pulls up the latch Ill and frees the arm I22, so that the stylus shaft 26 starts to rotate. The friction clutch IiI'I permits the rotation of shaft Ill by motor I02 while the shaft I is locked. The latch III drops into locking position upon release of magnet II4.

Automatic mechanism for removing recorded sheets (Figs. 1, 6, 9 and 10) In a machine of this type which operates to make facsimile recordings in a series of sheets in automatic sequence, it is necessary to clear the scanning carriage of each recorded sheet before the carriage returns for the next recording. This cannot be done by hand because the carriage remains in final position only a moment. We have, therefore, devised automatic mechanism for stripping the recorded sheets from the scanning carriage as it starts on its return trip to receive the next blank.

Referring particularly to Fig. 9 which represents the left end of the machine in Fig. 1, there is a platform I2I mounted on a bracket I22 which is secured to the cross plate I2. The platform I 2I carries a pin I22 at one end and this pin is journalled in bracket I22 so that the platform can swing down toward the back or far side of the machine (as viewed in Fig. l). A coil spring I24 normally holds the platform in horizontal position. The bracket I22 has an extension I25 on which a stripping finger I26 is pivoted at I21. The front portion of finger I26 has teeth I28 which are constantly pressed down on the platform I2I by a light spring I28 mounted on the extension I25. It is convenient to have this extension form a stop for holding the platform horizontal under the action of spring I24. The platform I2I and the finger I26 are in a central position with respect to cylinder I9 and scanning carriage SK.

The platform I2I is so arranged that the flexible band 21 carrying the recorded sheet rides onto the platform as the scanning carriage approaches the end of its forward travel. The front edge of finger I26 and its pointed teeth I2! slant 8 rearwardsothatthenngeriseuilypmhed bytheadvancingbandandsheet. However when thecarriageBKstartstoreturnundert-he ofspringll,thepointedteeth lflholdback recorded sheetandthus strip it fromtheearriage, as indicated by the dotted outline a in Pig. 6.

The stripped sheet could be removed by attendant by simply lifting the finger I22, but

from the platform into a receptacle. The left endofpivotpin iucarriesasmallpulley I82 onwhichiswoundacordorthinwire III,which is tied to the plunger III of a solenoid I82 supportedonthecrossplateflbyabracketifl. An expanding coil spring I surrounding the plunger I32 holds the latter up. When the magnet IN is energized, the platform I2I is rocked down to position I2l mm. 10 and the stripped sheet Ila is tilted to position b from which it drops into a suitable receptacle I22. During the tilting of platform I2l, the finger I2 is held backbyapin I2I,sothatthesheetisreleased from the teeth I22 andis free to slide 08.

Control circuits 0/ Fig. 12

In considering the wiring diagram of Fig. 12, we shall assume that the incoming facsimile signals are received over a transmission line L which connects the recorder with any suitable transmitter. For example, our new recorder and its control circuits can be used in conjunction with atransmitterlikethatshowninl imlofour Patent No. 2,255,869, issued September 16. 1941.

The received facsimile signals are transmitted from line L to a suitable amplifier I28. The output of this amplifier constitutes the recording circuit I39 (shown in simplified form) which includes the electric stylus 82. There are two sources of power indicated in Fig. 12. The letters A and B represent the bus bars of a source of alternating current, such as a 1l5-volt SO-cycle generator. Therefore, it will be understood that any contact or conductor marked "A" goes to one bus bar of a power line and the conductors marked "3 go to the other bus bar. The second source of power used in Fig. 12 is a D. C. or battery circuit, which is indicated by a plus sign for the positive pole and by the usual ground symbol for the negative pole.

A relay I4II is connected at one side across the transmission lines L at a midway point I and the other side of the relay is grounded at I42. For transmission of the message battery is applied over the lines L at the transmitter thereby energizing the relay I40 which closes its front contact I 43. This closes the battery circuit of a relay I44 which looks through its make contact I45, conductor I46 and a closed switch I41. This switch is always closed except when it is opened for a moment by the scanning carriage SK at the end of its forward movement.

The closing of contact I43 by the energized relay I40 also energizes a relay I42 through a condenser I49 and line I" which goes to ground through relay contact I42. The condenser I42 is in series with the winding of relay I42 and is shunted by a resistor iii of relatively high value such that current through the resistor alone will not permit operation of relay I42. It is clear that the relay I48 is energized only for the charging time of the condenser I42, say about one or two seconds.

This momentary energizing of relay I42 closes its front contact I52 and breaks its back contact Ill. The closed contact I82 operates the cutting magnet 18- and the holding magnet 85 through the source of power represented by A-B. This cuts on the blank length of paper 80 which has previously been fed onto the open wrapper 21 beneath the cylinder I9. The relay I48 is energized Just long enough for the completion of the cutting operation.

Although the relay I48 is energized only for a second or two, the relay I 44 remains locked in energized condition and holds all its contacts I45, I54, I55, I56 and I51 closed. Therefore, when the relay I48 is released and closes its back contact I58, the AC power circuit of the half-nut magnet 50 and the wrapping magnet 85 is completed through the closed contact I54 of relay I48. In other words, immediately after the paper has been cut off it is wrapped around the cylinder I9 by operation of the magnet 95, and at the same time the energized magnet 50 throws the half-nut 48 into mesh with the feed screw 81.

The closing of relay contact I55 operates the phasing magnet II 4 to release the stylus 86, and the closing of contact I56 energizes the low speed motor 39 to operate the feed screw 81. It is thus seen that the energizing of relay I44 automatically cuts on a blank length of paper from the continuous roll 55, wraps the severed sheet around the stationary cylinder I9, starts the rotation of stylus 99 and sets the scanning carriage SK in motion to carry the sheet along the cylinder for the recording of signals that pass through the stylus.

There is a relay I58 which is never energized during the recording intervals. Therefore, at such times its contact I59 remains closed to keep the low speed motor 89 energized. One side of relay I58 goes by way of a conductor I50 to contact I51 of relay I44 and the other side of relay I58 is connected by a line IN to the back contact I62 of relay I40. Since the relay I40 is kept energized during the transmission of a message, the contact I52 remains open and the relay I58 is held inactive even though the contact I51 is closed.

At the end of a message, the transmitter removes battery from line L and thus releases the in our Patent No.

contact I43 has no effect on relay I 44 because it is locked in energized condition through its contact I45 and the closed switch I41 controlled by the carriage SK. The closing of contact I52 of the released relay I40 operates the relay I58 to open its contact I59 and close its other contact I88. The opening of contact I59 cuts out the scanning motor 38 and the closing of contact I 68 energizes the high speed motor 40.

At the end of a received message the carriage SK may or may not be at the end of its forward travel. Usually it will not be, because most messages written on telegram sheets do not extend down to the end of the sheet. So, let us say that when the end of the message is reached at the transmitter and battery is removed from the line relay I 40, the carriage SK at the recorder has not yet reached the end of its forward travel. Therefore, when the high speed motor 40 is enersized upon release of relay I40, the feed screw 81 is driven at a much higher rate than the recording speed and moves the carriage quickly forward to the end of its travel.

When the scanning carriage SK reaches its final position. it opens the switch I41 and breaks the circuit of relay I 44 which in turn releases the relay I58 and stops the fast motor 40. At

10 the same time, the wrapping magnet 85 is released to open the wrapper 21 and the magnet is released to disconnect the half-nut 48 from the feed screw 81, whereupon the spring 58 quickly returns the carriage to starting position. During the return movement of the carriage the recorded sheet is withdrawn from the open wrapper 21 by the stripper I26, as previously ex- *shown in Fig. 12. Contact I is connected by a line I59 to one side of a double coil relay I10. Contacts I and I51 are grounded and contact I58 is connected to one side of magnet Ill. The other side of this magnet goes to plus battery. With the closing of contact I58, the magnet I88 is energized to tilt the platform I2I (see Fig. 10) and allow the stripped recorded sheet a to drop oil as previously explained.

In Fig, 12 we have indicated the paper feed mechanism as a whole by PF. The relay I10, which is part of this mechanism, has two windings HI and I12 which have a common plus terminal I18. The line I69, which goes to winding I H includes a condenser I14 which is shunted by a resistor I 15 of high value (like the resistor I-5I) whereby the winding "I is energized only for the charging time of the condenser. The relay I10 has two make contacts I15 and I11. The contact I18 is connected by a line I18 to the grounded switch I90, and the contact I11 is in the circuit wire I19 of the paper feed motor 58.

We now can see how the paper is automatically fed into the open former or wrapper 21 when the carriage is back in starting position. The closing of switch contacts I65-I56 by the carriage energizes the relay winding "I for a second or two and the relay I10 closes its contacts I15 and I11. The closing of contact I16 energizes the winding I12 and the relay looks through contact I16 and the closed switch 90. The closing of contact I11 energizes the motor I58 which drives the roll 51 one turn to feed a blank length of paper into the open former 21 under the cylinder I9. At the end of one turn of feed roll 51, the arm 89 opens the switch 90 whereupon the relay I10 is deenergized, thus breaking the circuit of motor 58. The machine is now ready for the next recording which begins with the energizing of line relay I40 from the transmitter as heretofore explained.

Summary of operation (Figs. 1 to 12) The operation of our automatic facsimile recorder will be understood from the foregoing detailed description, but for the convenience of a quick review we append a summary of the steps that comprise the cycle of operation.

Let us assume that the power switch (not shown) has been closed so that the synchronous motor is running. The stylus 99 is not operating because its shaft 96 is held locked by the latch I I1. The carriage SK is in starting position with a blank length of paper in the open former 21 under the cylinder I9. It should be remembered that this length of paper, which is still part of the continuous roll 58, was fed into the wrapper at the end of the preceding operation. The recorder is, therefore, in a ready-to-receive condition and is waiting for the signals from the transmitter at the other end of the transmission channel L.

When the transmitter is ready to send a message, battery is applied to the lines L over a simplex connection (as explained in our Patent No. 2,255,869), causing the relay I48 at the recorder to be energized. The closing of contact I83 of this relay simultaneously energizes the two relays I and I88. Whereas the relay I88 looks through its contact I45, the other relay I88 is energized only for a second or two. The energizing of relay I48 operates the magnets 13 and 85 to out off the blank length of paper in the open former 21 by means of the shear blade 88.

The energizing of relay I accomplishes these results:

(1) The magnet 58 is energized to connect the carriage SK with the feed screw 31 and at the same time the magnet 35 is operated to close the wrapper 21 and wrap the severed sheet around the cylinder I9. It should be noted that this operation of magnets 35 and 58 does not take place until after the cutting operation when the relay I88 is released and closes its contact I53.

(2) The low speed motor 39 is energized and drives the feed screw 31 to which the carriage SK is now connected. In this particular machine the usual rate of speed at which the feed screw is driven is equivalent to 100 scanning lines per inch.

(3) The phasing magnet III is energized through the closed contact I55 of relay I to release the stylus shaft 38 and cause the recording stylus 89 to be phased from a phasing commutator at the transmitter.

The recorder is now operating to record the facsimile signals received by the electric stylus 89. We need not describe how the stylus makes a facsimile record of the transmitted copy on blank 38 because that operation is well known to those familiar with facsimile communication. It is enough to say here that the slow movement of the cylindrical sheet of paper along the stationary cylinder I8 by the scanning carriage SK causes the rapidly rotating stylus to trace on the inner surface of the paper a continuous spiral track (say 100 lines per inch) whereby an exact duplicate or facsimile of the transmitted copy is produced.

When the end of the message is reached in the transmitter, battery is removed from the simplex circuit at the transmitter whereby the relay I88 at the recorder is released, opening its contact I83 and closing its contact I82. The relay I88 remains energized through its contact I85 and the carriage controlled switch I". The closing of contact I82 energizes the relay I58 which cuts out the slow speed motor 39 and energizes the high speed motor 88. Therefore the scanning carriage SK is moved quickly to the end of its forward travel where it opens the switch I". The opening of this switch releases the relay I which in turn breaks the circuit of relay I58. The release of relay I deenergizes the magnets 35 and 58 so that the former 21 is opened and the carriage is released from the screw shaft 31. the carriage is retracted by the spring 53, the recording sheet is stripped from the former 21 and momentarily held on the platform I2 I.

When the empty carriage is back in starting position, it closes the switch I88 and energizes 12 the relay I18 which causes the motor I58 to feed a blank length of paper to the open former 21.

At the same time the solenoid I33 is energized to tilt the platform I2I and allow the stripped sheet to drop into the receptacle I38. The machine is now ready for the next recording operation. thus recording a series of messages in automatic sequence as long as they keep coming from the transmitter.

Modiflcation'of Figs. 13 to 16 In the machine of Figs. 1 and 6, as the wrapped sheet is moved off the stationary cylinder I8 by the forward travel of the carriage SK, that portion of the sheet which leaves the cylinder is a cylindrical shell of paper without an inside support. Where the recording blanks are short, like ordinary telegram sheets, this lengthening cylindrical shell of paper will maintain its form even when only a narrow rear edge thereof remains on the supporting cylinder I8. However, in a machine requiring blanks of considerable length, it is necessary to support the paper at both ends during the entire forward movement of the scanning carriage to prevent collapse of the paper cylinder. Novel mechanism for accomplishing this result is shown in Figs. 13 to 16.

A hollow rod or tube I88 is rigidly supported on a plate or bracket I8| in axial alignment with the stationary cylinder I8 and the stylus shaft 88. A disk or short cylinder I82 is slidably mounted on the rod I88 and is normally held against a collar I83 atthe free end of the rod by an expanding coil spring I88 wound on the rod. In this case the recording blank I85 and the flexible former 21 extend over the disk I82 when the blank is wrapped around the cylinder in the manner previously described. Although the sheet I88 in Fig. 13 appears to be no longer than the sheet 38 in Fig. 6, that is due to lack of space on the drawing sheets and it is to be assumed that the recording blank I85 is of such length as to require the support of the extra disk I82.

It is clear by comparing Figs. 13 and 14 that the paper cylinder I85 is supported at both ends during the entire forward movement of the scanning carriage, whereby the fast revolving stylus 83 operates on a surface that remains a perfect cylinder throughout the entire recording operation.

Since the slidable disk I82 is carried along by the closed former 21, it becomes in effect a part of the scanning carriage during the forward movement thereof. The compressed sprin I88 returns the disk I82 to normal position against the collar I83 upon release of the carriage at the end of its forward travel, as explained in connection with Figs. 1 to 6.

The slidable disk I82 is cut away at the bottom to provide a slot I88 for permitting the passage of a sheet stripping finger I81 when the scanning carriage reaches the end of its forward movement. To maintain the slot I85 in line with the finger I", the disk I82 is locked against rotary displacement in any practical way, as by a pin I88 on the disk engaging a longitudinal groove I88 in the tubular rod I88. The toothed stripper I8I operates precisely like the stripper I28 in Fig. l in pulling a sheet off the scanning carriage, but the mounting of the stripper is different, as we shall now describe in detail.

Referring to Fig. 14, a fixed horizontal arm or bracket I88 carries an upright pin I3I on which a sleeve or hub member I82 is pivoted. The sleeve I82 carries a small horizontal platform I83 over which the stripper I81 is pivoted on a pin I88. A light leaf spring I88 mounted on top of sleeve I82 presses the stripper I81 against the platform I98. A cross pin I99 on sleeve I92 normally engages a vertical rod I91 under the influence of a torsion spring I98 connected to the sleeve. The stops I96 and I91 are so arranged that normally they hold the stripper I81 and the platform I93 in axial alignment with the cylindrical recording sheet I89 as it approaches the stripper.

As will be understood from Fig. 14, after the finger III has entered the closed wrapper through the slot I88 in disk I82 at the end of the forward carriage movement, the sudden reverse movement of the carriage causes the teeth of stripper I81 to hold back the gripped sheet as the wrapper 21 (now open) slides off the platform I93 from under the sheet. This leaves the stripped sheet clamped to the platform by the spring pressed finger I81. We have provided automatic means for carrying the sheet on the platform to a position of removal.

The rotary sleeve or hub member I92 is provided with a pulley I99 on which a short piece of cord or thin wire 200 is wound. The outer end of this cord is connected to the plunger 20I of a solenoid 202 mounted on the bracket I90. The upper end of rod I91 is formed with a lateral cam lug 203 which lies over a rear extension or tailpiece 204 of the stripping finger I81. When the magnet 202 is energized it pulls its plunger 20I in and thereby swings the platform I93 forward through a right angle, as shown in Fig. 13. During this quarter turn of the sleeve I92 the tall 204 of the finger I81 rides under the cam lug 203 which causes the front or toothed end of the finger to rise and release the sheet, as illustrated in Fig. 15, where the released sheet I85a is ready to drop off the platform into a suitable receptacle. When the magnet 202 is released, the torsion spring I98 turns the sleeve I92 back to normal position as shown in Fig. 14. It is to be understood that the magnet 202 is controlled in the same way as the magnet I33 in Fig. 12.

We have referred to the shaft I80 as hollow or tubular, but in so far as the operation of the sheet supporting disk I82 is concerned, that shaft can be a solid rod. However, we use a hollow rod to accomplish an additional purpose. The recording operation of the electric stylus 99 produces fumes which might become objectionable if allowed to accumulate in the room where a number of machines of this type are operating. It is therefore desirable to remove those fumes as they are liberated. To this end we utilize the tubular rod I80 as a pipe for connecting the recording chamber 205 with a suitable suction device 208, which may be an exhaust fan driven by a motor. A pipe 201 connects the rear end of the hollow shaft I80 with the exhaust fan, which can be .mounted in any convenient place on the framework of the machine or anywhere in the room.

It should be understood that the modified construction shown in Figs. 13 to 16 is intended for the machine illustrated fully in Figs. 1 to 11 and for that reason we have not considered it necessary to repeat in Figs. 13 to 16 such details of the machine as can be supplied from Figs. 1 to 11. The control circuits of Fig. 12 apply fully to a machine embodying the modification of Figs. 13 to 16.

The modification of Figs. 17 to 22 In the two machines of Figs. 1 and 13, the flexible former 21 that wraps the recording blanks around the stationary cylinder I9 is part of the reciprocating carriage SK and moves along with it to drag the wrapped sheet off the cylinder during the scanning operation. In the wider aspect on plate 2.

of our invention this wrapper may be separate from the scanning carriage and remain stationary in closed position around the cylinder while the wrapped sheet is pulled from between the wrapper and the cylinder by a novel device mounted on the scanning carriage. A machine embodying that idea is illustrated in Figs. 17 to 22, which we shall now describe in detail.

The main framework of the machine comprises a base 208, an end plate 209 and a pair of short cross plates 2I0 and 2 which form a U-shaped supporting frame for several parts. It will not be necessary to describe every element shown in Fig. 17 because certain features of this machine are identical with corresponding features in the machine of Fig. 1. For example, the two machines have the same cutting mechanism, paper feed mechanism, stylus drive connections, feed screw drive, and other details that will be mentioned as we come to them. Therefore, to avoid needless duplication of description, such parts as are common to the machines of Figs. 1 and 17 are indicated by the same reference numerals except that a prime mark has been added to the numbers in Figs. 17 to 22 for distinction. Thus,-for example, in Fig. 17 the cutting magnet 13' and the holding magnet 95' (which are both mounted on plate 2i 0) take the place of the magnets 13 and of Fig. 1. In other words. the previous description of Figs. 1 to 12 applies to Figs. 17 to 22 with respect to all common parts both as to structure and operation.

While the flexible wrapper or former 21' in Fig. 17 is the same in structure and sheet wrapping function as the former 21 in Fig. l, the difference is that the former 21 is mounted to remain stationary during the recording operation. The rod 25' on which the arms 26 of former 21' are pivoted is mounted in the fixed plates 2I0 and 2 of the framework. The wrapper arms 26' have extensions 2I2 (see Fig. 18) which are connected by pins 2l3 to a pair of links 2 and these links are connected at 2 I 5 to the upper end of the magnetic plunger 2I6 of a solenoid 2". This device is secured in any practical way to the base plate 208 between the cross plates 2 I0 and 2| I.

An expanding coil spring 2I6 normally pushes the plunger 2I8 up to hold the arms 26' down in open position as indicated by the dotted lines 26b in Fig. 18. When the magnet 2I1 is energized, the core 2I6 is pulled down and the arms 26' are swung up to wrap the severed blank H8 in the wrapper around the cylinder I9. The movement of plunger 2I6 also controls a switch 2I9 mounted This switch is normally open and is closed by an arm 220 on plunger 2I8 when the latter is fully drawn down by the energized magnet 2I'I. This means that the switch 2I9 is not closed until the sheet has been wrapped around the cylinder I9. The reason for this will appear in the description of Fig. 23.

The salient feature of the machine illustrated in Figs. 17 to 22 is the scanning carriage which we have indicated as a unit by GK. This carriage comprises a vertical plate 22| provided with two bushings 222 by means of which the carriage is slidably mounted on a pair of rods 223 supported lengthwise of the machine in the end plates 209 and 2 I0. These plates also support a rotary screw shaft 31' which, like the screw shaft 31 of Fig. 6, is operated by a low speed motor for scanning and by a high speed motor for quick movement of the carriage to final position at the end of a scanning operation. These motors are not shown in Fig. 17 for lack of space, but they are indicated in the wiring diagram of Fig. 23 at 39' and 40' respec- 15 tively, which correspond with the motors 39 and 40 of Figs. 6 and 12. The connection of the carriage GK with the feed screw 31' is controlled by a half nut 48 (Fig. 21) operated in the same way as the half nut 48 in Fig. 2. That is to say, a coil spring 49 normally holds the half nut 48' away from the feed screw 31' and the energizing of magnet 50' throws the half nut into mesh with the feed screw. The magnet 50' is shown rigidly mounted on the plate 22l by means of a bracket The carriage plate 22! is formed with an upper circular section 225 to which a disk 228 is fastened by screws or rivets 221. The disk 225 is arranged in axial alignment with the stationary cylinder i9 and carries a cylindrical projection of nonmagnetic material comprising a hub or shank 228 and an enlarged head or knob 229. The projection 228-229 is concentric with cylinder l 9' and isa structural part of the scanning carriage GK.

A cylindrical shell indicated as a unit by 239 is slidably mounted over the projection 228-229 by means of pins 23l which extend from the disk 226 and pass through holes in lugs 232 on the shell. This shell is of nonmagnetic material and is closed at one end by a flat ring 233 of soft iron which constitutes the movable armature for a circular magnet 234 fixed on the hub 228 within the shell 230. A coil 235 is mounted in the annular chamber formed by the concentric circular poles 235 and 231 of the magnet. The iron disk 233, which is rigidly secured to the shell 230, is slidable over the hub 228, thus forming an operative connection between the fixed magnet 234 and the movable shell 230. When the magnet is energized, the armature 233 is drawn against the pole pieces and the shell is moved to the right (as viewed in Fig. 17). When the magnet is deenergized, coil springs 238 fastened to the lugs 232 of shell 238 and to lugs 238 on disk 228 pull the shell to the left, as shown in Fig. 22.

The head or knob 229 of the cylindrical projection 228-229 has anend section 229a of smaller diameter than its base section 22%. These two cylindrical sections are connected by a circular cam section 2290. The shell 230 is formed with an inner partition 239 which forms with the front wall of the shell a narrow annular chamber 240 in which a so-called garter spring 24! is housed. This spring is a contracting coil spring of fine wire which is constantly in pressure contact with the surface over it, yet it rolls easily over the projection 229 during the movements of shell 230.

The function of the slidable shell 230, which is a part of the scanning carriage GK, is to grip the sheet 2 l 8 wrapped around the stationary cylinder l9 and pull it off the cylinder during the scanning operation. When a cut blank is wrapped around the cylinder l9 by the wrapper 21', the shell 230 is in withdrawn position to the left (see Fig. 22), so that the end section 229a of the cylindrical head 229 is free to receive the projecting left end or margin 218 of the wrapped sheet. Then, when the magnet 234 is energized and moves the shell 23!] to the right, the garter spring 24! rolls down the incline 2290 and over the end section 229a into tight gripping contact with the projecting end 218' of the recording blank. The surface of the end section 229a may be slightly roughened to increase the gripping action of spring 2.

Upon movement of the carriage GK to the left by the feed screw 31', the gripped sheet is pulled ofi the cylinder as the rotating stylus 99' does the recording. During this scanning movement of the paper the closed wrapper 21' 16 remains stationary. Release of magnet 234 causes the springs 238 to withdraw the shell 230 to the left, whereby the recorded sheet is released for removal. It will be convenient to refer to the parts 230 and 234 as the sheet gripper and the gripper magnet, respectively.

Attention is called to the fact that the sheet that is being scanned is supported at both ends during the entire forward movement of the carriage GK, so that the paper remains in stable cylindrical form while being pulled off the stationary cylinder Is. In Fig. 17, the sides of the dot-dash rectangle 2i8a may be assumed to indicate the position of the sheet when the carriage is at the end of its forward travel. This shows that the left end of the recorded sheet is still supported by the head 229 of the carriage and the right end of the sheet is still held over the left end of cylinder l9. This double support of the recording blank during scanning makes it possible to use sheets of unusual length.

When the scanning carriage GK reaches the end of its forward travel, as indicated by the dotted line assembly GK in Fig. 17, a button 242 on the carriage closes a normally open switch 243 mounted on the end plate 209 of the framework. This switch, as we shall learn from Fig. 23, controls pneumatic mechanism for removing the recorded sheets from the machine. Another switch 244 is mounted on the base plate 208 and is operated by a trigger 245 on the scanning carriage at the end of its return movement to start ing position. The switch 244 has a movable spring arm 244 which is normally open. The trigger 245 is pivoted at 245 to a bracket 241 on the carriage and a light spring 248 holds the arm 249 of the trigger against the bracket, so that the trigger is stopped from rocking clockwise.

A cam 250 on the free end of switch arm 244' is in the path of trigger 245. When the trigger encounters the cam 250 during the forward or left movement of the carriage, the trigger is rocked counterclockwise out of the way and the switch 244 remains open. However, during the rapid return movement of the carriage by the coil spring 25l, the trigger earns the switch arm 244' for a moment into closed position. The closing of switch 244 controls the paper feed mechanism, as will be explained in connection with Fig. 23. One or more rubber stops 252 mounted on the base plate 208 cushion the sudden stopping of the carriage in starting position.

A pipe 253 is mounted on the end plate 289 in axial alignment with cylinder 19' and extends through the hollow projection 228-229 where the open end of the pipe communicates with the recording chamber 254. Tubing 255 is supposed to connect the pipe 253 with a source of exhaust, such as the exhaust fan 288 in Fig. 13, for withdrawing the recording fumes i'rom chamber 254. as previously explained for the suction pipe I" in Fig. 13. In this machine we also utilize the suction system for another purpose, namely. the automatic removal of the recorded sheets from the scanning carriage.

Referring to Figs. 19 and 20, an angle bracket 256 is mounted on the base 288 and has an arm 25! pivoted thereon at 258. The upper end of arm 251 carries a rubber vacuum cup 259 which communicates through a flexible tube 260 with the same source of suction as the pipe 253 in Fig. 17. The lower end of arm 251 has a lateral extension 26I which is connected by a link 282 to a rotary cam disk 283. The two pivot 17 points of the link are indicated at 264 and 265. The cam disk 263 is mounted on a shaft 266 which is Journalled in bracket 256 and carries a gear wheel 261. A motor 268 mounted on the base of bracket 256 has a pinion 269 in mesh with the gear 261 for operating the cam disk 263. As

seen in Fig. 19, the connection between the arm 261 and the cam disk 263 is such that, when the pivot 265 of link 262 is highest on the cam disk, the arm 251 is in withdrawn position; that is, farthest to the left, as viewed in Fig. 19.

As the cam disk 262 rotates counterclockwise from the position shown in Fig. 19, the link 262 is pulled down and the arm 251 is rocked forward to the right. When the disk 263 has made half a turn, the pivot point 265 of link 262 is at the bottom of its arc of travel, as indicated at 265, and the arm 251 is in its forward position 251 to bring the suction cup 259 into momentary contact with the recorded sheet 2I6. It is to be assumed that the sheet is still held in cylindrical form by the gripper 238 and the wrapper 28' when it is first engaged by the suction cup.

During the next half-tum of disk 263 the link 262 moves up to rock the arm of 251 back to the left carrying the removed sheet with it to position 218. Thereupon the suction cup 259 releases the sheet which drops into a suitable receptacle 21I. An upper extension 212 on the receptacle guides the sheet on its way down. As will be explained in connection with Fig. 23, before the arm 251 starts back the suction-held sheet is released by the wrapper 21 and the gripper 238, so that the sheet falls open as it is carried to position 218.

The pneumatic sheetremoving operation just described presupposes that the vacuum is put on the cup 259 when it touches the paper and is taken off when the arm 251 is back in normal position. This automatic vacuum control is accomplished by a valve 213 (see Fig. 17) which controls the pneumatic connection between the rubber tube 268 that goes to the suction cup 259 and the pipe 255 that communicates with the source of exhaust. The valve 213 may be of any practical design and by way of example we have shown a rotary disk 214 mounted in the valve casing which has two ports 215 and 216. The first port 215 connects with the source of exhaust and the second port 216 connects with the tube 268 of the suction cup 269. The valve disk 214 has an arcuate channel 211 adapted to span the two ports 215-216 when the valve is in operating condition.

The rotary valve disk 214 is operated by a solenoid 218 mounted on a bracket 219 which is secured to the cross plate 289. The disk 214 has a radial arm 288 which is connected to the plunger 28I of the solenoid. A spring 282 coiled around the plunger normally pushes the latter upward and holds the arm 288 against a stop 283. In this normal or inactive condition of the valve the channel 211 of disk 214 disconnects the vacuum cup tube 268 from the source of exhaust. When the solenoid 218 is energized, the plunger 28I is pulled down and the arm 288 is rocked down against the stop 284. The valve disk 214 is now in a position where the channel 211 connects the ports 215216, whereby the suction is on in cup 258.

The operation of solenoid 218 is controlled by a switch 285 mounted on the angle bracket 256 (see Fig. 19). This switch is normally open and is closed by the arm 251 when the latter is in its forward position 251. There are several ways in which the switch 285 can be operated, one way being by a projection 288 on the arm 28I striking a button 281 on the switch. The closing of switch 285 is only momentary while the pivot point 266 on the cam disk 288 is crossing the lowermost position 285'. The circuit connections for the switch 285 appear in Fig 23 and will be described later.

The cam disk 288 controls a switch assembly identified as a unit by 288, which is mounted on the base of 288. This switch unit comprises two pair of contact members 288-488 and 28I-282 mounted on an insulating block 288, which also supports a separate spring arm 284. The tree end of this am is weighted and projects into the path of lug 285 on cam disk 288. The contact members 288 and 281 are movable spring arms connected by an insulating cross pin 288 which extends closely adjacent to the arm 284 or barely touching it. The spring arms 288 and 2" are normally in closed position. When the lug 285 of the rotating disk 288 moves the weighted arm 284 aside and suddenly lets the arm go, the momentum of the arm carries it against the crosspiece and both switch arms 288 and 2" are momentarily thrown open. The circuits in which the switch 288 is connected will be explained in the description of Fig. 23.

Control circuits of Fig. 23

Certain parts and circuits in Fig. 23 are duplicates of corresponding parts and circuits in Fig 12, so that it will not be necessary to repeat the detailed description of such elements for Fig. 23. It will be suificient to indicate the corresponding parts in those two wiring diagrams by the same reference numerals, except that a prime mark has been added to those numbers in Fig. 23 for the sake of distinction.

when the line relay I48 is energized by battery from the transmitter, as explained in Fig. 12, the relays I48 and I48 are energized by battery current at the recorder. In this case, the relay I44 has six make contacts numbered from 291 to 382. The closing oi make contact 281 has no effect on the relay I58 because the open contact I62 of the energized relay I48 keeps the circuit of relay I58 open. The closing of contact 298 locks the relay I48 in energized condition through wire 888 and the closed switch 288. It should be noted that while the energized relay I44 is locked, the relay I48 is energized only a second or two until the condenser I48 is charged. The momentary closing of make contact I52 energizes the cutting magnet 13 and the holding magnet to out off the blank previously fed into the flexible wrapper 21.

The closed contact 288 of energized relay I 44 closes the circuit of phasing magnet H4. The closed contact 388 connects the low-speed motor 38 to the bus bars of the alternating current source through wire 884, closed contact I59 of relay I58 (not energized now), wire 385 and the closed contact 38801 a relay 381, which is not energized at this time. The closing of contact 38I energizes the half-nut magnet 58' to connect the scanning carriage GK with the feed screw 31. This, of course, happens after the slow action relay I48 has been deenergized and its back contact I58 is closed.

The closing of relay contact 882 energizes the wrapping magnet 2H and the gripper magnet 234, the power circuit being closed through the back contact 388 of the released relay I48, wire 389 and contact 8I8 of a relay 8I I, which is still inactive. It should be noted that the normally open switch 219 prevents the energizing of the gripper magnet 234 until that switch is closed by the plunger of the wrapping magnet 211. In other words, the gripper magnet 234 cannot operate until the cut blank 218 has been wrapped around the cylinder 19'.

The relay 311 is energized only upon the closing of switch 285 when the rock arm 251 is in its forward position 251', as shown in Fig. 19. Therefore, when the suction cup 259 touches the recorded sheet, the relay 311 is energized and closes its make contacts 312 and 313. The closing of contact 312 connects the solenoid 218 in the power circuit and the valve 213 is operated to connect the cup 259 with the suction pipe 255. The relay 311 looks through its contact 313 as long as the switch 288 is closed. The opening of this switch by the cam lug 295 on disk 283 at the moment when (or immediately after) the arm 251 has carried the removal sheet to delivery position 218 automatically releases the relay 811, whereupon the valve 213 disconnects the cup from the vacuum.

It is important that the sheet removing arm 251 be operated in correctly timed relation to the movements of the scanning carriage GK. More specifically stated, the arm 251 should operate only when the carriage is at the end of its forward travel and the suction cup 259 should make contact with the recorded sheet while it is still held at both ends by the flexible former 21' and by the gripper 238. This timed operation of the am 251 is effected by means of the relay 381 which is energized only when the carriage GK closes the switch 243 at the end of its forward movement. The energized relay 381 locks through its make contact 314 and the closed switch 288. The closed contact 315 of relay 381 completes the circuit of the motor 288 which drives the cam disk 283 for one revolution to move the arm 251 forward and back, whereupon the cam lug 295 on the disk momentarily opens the switch 288. This releases the relay 381, opens the contact 315 and stops the motor 258, leaving the arm 251 in the position shown in Figs. 19 and 23.

It will be recalled that the starting relay 144', when energized by the operation of the line relay 148', locks through its contact 298, wire 383 and the closed switch 288. The relay 381 likewise looks through switch 288 when it is energized at the end of the forward carriage movement by the momentary closing of switch 243. As already told, the closing of contact 315 by relay 381 energizes the motor 268 to operate the pneumatic sheet removing mechanism. Remember that at this time the wrapping magnet 211 and the gripping magnet 234 are still energized through the closed relay contacts 382 and 388, wire 389, and the closed back contact 318 of the inert relay 311. Therefore, the cylindrical sheet of recorded paper is still held at both ends when the suction cup makes contact with it at the end of the forward movement of arm 251. At that moment the switch 285 is closed, the relay 311 is energized and its closed contact 312 operates the solenoid 218 to apply suction to the cup 259 which thus grips the paper.

When the energized relay 311 breaks its contact 318, it opens the circuit of wrapping magnet 211 and gripping magnet 234 whereby both ends of the cylindrical sheet are released. This occurs when the paper adheres to the suction cup and when the mm 251 is on the point of returning.

The release of the cup-held sheet causes it to open and in this open condition the sheet is carried by the returning arm 251 to the dotted line position 218 in Fig. l9.- If we look at this figure from right to left, the position 218 of the open sheet corresponds to the rectangular outline 218a of Fig. 17. When the arm 251 is back in normal position after one turn of the cam disk 283, the switch 288 is opened, thereby releasing the relays 144', 381 and 311.

Only one more thing remains to be done before the machine is ready for the next scanning operation and that is the feeding of a blank length of paper into the flexible wrapper 21. Since the paper feed mechanism PF of Fig. 23 is assumed to be a duplicate of the paper feed mechanism PF in Fig. 12, the previous detailed description of mechanism PF applies fully to mechanism PF in which the reference numerals correspond to those in PF with an added prime mark for distinction. In Fig. 23 the switch 244 which is closed by the carriage GK upon return to starting position is the equivalent of switch 184 in Fig. 12.

Operation of machine in Figs. 17 to 23 The general operation of the machine shown in Figs. 17 to 23 will be clear in all details from the'preceding description. For convenience we present the following summary:

Assume that a blank length of paper has been fed into the open former or wrapper 21 beneath the scanning cylinder 19. It should be assumed that this paper feed operation took place at the close of the last recording operation. Starting of the transmitter energizes the relay 144 which looks through the closed switch 288, whereupon the machine performs these functions automatically:

The cutting magnet 13 and the holding magnet are energized to operate the shears that out 011 the blank previously fed into the wrapper 21. These magnets are operated by the momentaiy energizing of relay 148'.

As soon as the paper has been cut off and the relay 148' released to close its contact 388, the wrapping magnet 211 is energized to close the wrapper 21 and wrap the sheet around the stationary cylinder 19. A second later the gripper magnet 234 is energized and the shell 238 is moved over to grip the wrapped sheet, as shown in Fig. 17.

Simultaneously with the wrapping and gripping of the sheet the half nut magnet 58 is energized to connect the carriage GK to the feed screw 31, the low speed motor 39 is energized to operate the feed screw, and the phasing magnet 114 is operated to connect the stylus 99' to its driving motor.

The machine is now in condition to record the facsimile signals coming through the amplifier 138' and received by the electric stylus 99 which records them on the inner surface of the cylindrical sheet of paper held by the wrapper 21' and the gripper 238. The recording operation continues until the end of the message is reached at the transmitter, whereupon the facsimile signals cease and the following happens at the recorder:

The line relay 148' is released and closes the circuit of relay 158' which cuts out the low speed motor 39' and cuts in the high speed motor 48'. The carriage GK is therefore moved rapidly to the end of its forward travel and there it closes the switch 243. 

